Trainer Calvin Ford appeared stressed today answering questions about why his fighter, Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, chose Lamont Roach as his next opponent on Dec. 14 instead of one of the talented lightweights fans want to see the Baltimore native fight.
Ford’s answers as to why Tank is fighting Roach are pretty lame, saying, “It’s good for the community.” The boxing public doesn’t see this as good, and they are the ones who buy Tank’s fights for $75.95 on PPV. It is not good for them.
Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs), a super featherweight who will move up to challenge Gervonta (30-0, 28 KOs) for his WBA lightweight title in Houston, has never beaten any A-level fighters during his 10 not. -year career.
The 29-year-old Roach faced Jamel Herring in 2019 and has recent wins over Feargal McCrory, Hector Luis Garcia and Angel Rodriguez. It’s not exactly the best of the best. Losing to Herring tells you everything you need to know about Roach’s qualifications for a fight against Tank.
Why Tank Fighting Roach
- They know each other since they were amateurs
- Roach agreed to the fight
- It’s a “big fight”
- Good for the “community”
- This is the battle before “before” Tank
“They already know each other from the amateurs, the Silver gloves and everything. They grew up with each other,” coach Calvin Ford said Battle hypetalking about Gervonta Davis knowing Lamont Roach Jr well from the past.
Fans don’t care that Tank Davis knew Roach when he was back on the block. They want to see Tank face the best at 135, the likes of William Zepeda, Raymond Muratalla, Andy Cruz, Abdullah Mason and Keyshawn Davis.
“Roach-they had back-and-forth fights and whatnot. It’s going to be a very interesting fight because Roach is coming to fight. I think it’s a great fight. Everyone’s talking all that stuff, “Oh, why Roach?” Because he took the fight, and that’s good for the community,” Ford said.
He does not say for which community it is good. Is it the community in Baltimore and Washington, DC? There are more fans nationwide than in that small section of the American tank who should think about them for a change and stop his risk avoidance of the talented fighters at 135.
This is the third time that Tank Davis has chosen a fighter from the super featherweight division to defend his WBA lightweight belt against. He has already fought 130 pounders Hector Luis Garcia and Leo Santa Cruz.
“People are going to do it. That’s what fans do. They give bad reviews,” Ford said, criticizing fighters when they take down weak opponents, especially when they do it repeatedly throughout their careers, as Tank Davis did.
“I remember when everyone said I should let Pitbull fight again. They talked about it, and when he won that belt (WBA light welterweight), boom. I don’t get involved with that. I’m just preparing him and getting him ready to put on a good show for the fans and whatnot.
“Like I said, we’re just focusing on the fight in front of us, and that’s the fight in front of us,” Ford said of Roach next up for Gervonta’s Dec. 14 title defense.
The answer from Ford is not good enough, saying: “We’re just focusing on the battle in front of us.” This is not an answer. I think we need that Grand Inquisitor here to put Ford’s feet to the fire and get some real answers about why Tank Davis is fighting Roach. It goes much deeper than he says. There is some fear behind these choices for Tank because it is easy money, allowing him to avoid risk.
